NEWS
As reported by Stone Hearth News in
New Zealand, learning to be less harsh
or judgmental and more compassionate
to themselves may help people with
diabetes manage their disease and stave
off depression, according to a recent
study.
Diabetes can be a stressful disease,
the study team writes in Diabetes Care,
saying, "Relentless demand for healthy
blood glucose control presents daily
opportunities for failure and, thus, attacks
LIGHTEN UP!
PRESCRIPTION APPLICATION FOR
FREESTYLE LIBRE
At the moment in the UK, the FreeStyle
Libre system from Abbott is available to
purchase online by interested diabetics
and is also being used by the NHS
in certain circumstances. It is not yet
I HART STUDY
NEEDS YOU!
on the self . . . (and) the practice of selfkindness may reduce
psychological
suffering." Reducing the stress of
managing diabetes might even have
biological effects that improve the
condition, they added.
This is the first randomized controlled
trial of a self-compassion intervention
among people with diabetes, lead
author Anna Friis told Reuters Health,
"Self-compassion-based treatments are
founded on the notion that our tendency
to be harshly self-critical or judgmental
when we feel we have 'failed' or done
something wrong makes our stress and
distress worse."
Friss, a psychologist at the University
of Auckland in New Zealand continued,
"This is important because many
diabetes patients suffer from depression
and distress and we know that these
mood problems make trying to achieve
healthy blood glucose control even more
difficult, which is why there is an ongoing
search for ways to help patients manage
their mood, because we know this has
important effects on their physical health."
available on prescription but the company's
plan is to get it listed as soon as possible.
In order to make this happen, Abbott
has invested in and completed two large
clinical trials to demonstrate the same
value to payers that patients and doctors
are experiencing with the FreeStyle Libre
sensor system.
Abbott is actively pursuing
reimbursement and in June the company
submitted to the NHS Business Service
Authority to have FreeStyle Libre Flash
Glucose Monitoring System Sensor
assessed for listing in the NHS England and
Wales Drug Tariff and therefore available on
prescription in the community.
Researchers at Imperial College London
are currently recruiting to the I HART CGM
study, which aims to measure the impact
of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)
on hypoglycaemia in people with Type 1
diabetes who have a reduced awareness
of hypoglycaemia. I HART stands for
Impact on Hypoglycaemia Awareness of
Real Time CGM.
Participants need to be aged 18 or
over, have had Type 1 diabetes for three
or more years, and be treated with insulin
injections. They also need to have either
experienced a severe hypoglycaemic
event in the last 12 months or have
reduced awareness of hypoglycaemia.
Says Dr Nick Oliver, who is running
the study, "We are recruiting people at
highest risk of hypoglycaemia so are
only recruiting people on MDI who have
impaired hypoglycaemia awareness or
who have had a severe hypoglycaemia
requiring assistance to treat in the last 12
months. We see people for a screening
visit and if they are eligible they are
randomised to Dexcom G5 or Freestyle
Libre. We set them up with the technology
then speak to them on the phone after
two weeks and see them in the research
clinic after four and eight weeks. All
participants are then offered an 8-week
extension using G5."
Anyone interested email Dr Nick Oliver
nick.oliver@imperial.ac.ukr" target="_blank" title="Visit nick.oliver">nick.oliver@imperial.ac.uk.